Indians Beat Sox, Ruin Yaz Day (10/1/83)

In a season where nothing went right for the Boston Red Sox, it was fitting that on Carl Yastrzemski Day they would lose to the Cleveland Indians. In a pregame ceremony, Yaz said goodbye to the fans despite having two more games to play. An hour long tribute to Yaz made everyone feel good about what he had accomplished in the last 22 years. As for the game itself, Oil Can Boyd (4-8, 3.28 ERA) continued to look like a potential ace of the future tossing a complete game against the Indians. The only problem was he allowed 3 runs (1 earned) while his counterpart Larry Sorensen pitched the game of his life. Sorensen held the Sox to just 1 run in a complete game 5 hitter. Yaz himself went 0 for 4 in his second to last game of his career as the Indians put yet another miserable loss in a season full of them on the Sox, 3-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                  "New England, I love you" - CY

Boyd took the mound to start the top of the first and Jack Perconte took a fastball on the outside corner for strike three to start. Toby Harrah dumped a base hit to left but Mike Hargrove struck out swinging and Andre Thornton tapped a grounder to short to end the inning. Sorensen got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jerry Remy led off by popping a bunt back to Larry to start. Wade Boggs lined out to center and Jim Rice struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ron Hassey led off the top of the second by popping up to short to start. Alan Bannister grounded out to third and George Vukovich grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the second as Tony Armas grounded out to first to start. Carl Yastrzemski grounded out to first and Rick Miller grounded out to short to end the inning.

Kevin Rhomberg grounded back to the mound to start the top of the third before Mike Fischlin got a base hit to center. Fischlin took second but Perconte took strike three. Harrah grounded out to third to end the inning. Dave Stapleton led off the bottom of the third by striking out on a nasty changeup to start. Jeff Newman hit a rocket to Mike Fischlin that was ruled a base hit but was doubled off first on a rocket liner to Sorensen by Jackie Gutierrez to end the inning.

The Indians struck first in the top of the fourth as Hargrove walked to start before taking second on a wild pitch. Thornton hit a deep fly to right to move Hargrove to third and Mike scored on the grounder to second by Hassey. Bannister grounded out to third to end the inning with the Indians up 1-0.

                                                  Hargrove scores a run

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the fourth as Remy grounded out to second to start. Boggs and Rice also grounded out to second to end the inning.

Marty Barrett took over for Remy to start the top of the fifth and Vukovich singled to left to start...but was thrown out second trying to steal. Rhomberg ripped a base hit up the middle but was forced at second on a comebacker to Boyd by Fischlin. Perconte popped up to short to end the inning.

                                                      Yerrrrrr out!

Armas flied out to right to start the bottom of the fifth and Yaz grounded out to second. Miller also grounded out to second to end the inning.

Chico Walker took over for Rice and Lee Graham came in for Armas to start the top of the sixth and Harrah hit a ground rule double down the left field line to start. Hargrove back to the mound but Harrah moved to third on the fly ball to Miller by Thornton. Hassey flied out to center to end the inning. Stapleton led off the bottom of the sixth by lining back to the mound and but Newman drew a walk. Gutierrez took strike three and Barrett flied out to right to end the inning.

Boyd cruised in the top of the seventh as Bannister took strike three to start. Vukovich flied out to right and Rhomberg struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the seventh as Boggs grounded out to second to start. Walker tripled off the centerfield wall and scored on the Graham sac fly to tie the game. Yaz grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                          Walker scores to tie the game

Boyd froze Fischlin for strike three to start the top of the eighth but Perconte doubled to right. Harrah flied out to the left field warning track and Hargrove flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox blew their best chance to take the lead in the bottom of the eighth as Miller grounded out to second to start. Stapleton grounded out to Fischlin but Newman slapped a base hit to center. Ed Jurak pinch ran for Newman and Gutierrez singled off the glove of Perconte. Barrett grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Indians finally broke through in the top of the ninth as Gary Allenson took over behind the plate. Thornton poked a double just over the third base bag to start and Bake McBride pinch ran for him. Hassey grounded out to Stapleton and Broderick Perkins pinch hit for Bannister. Perkins hit a liner to Boggs who booted it for an error to keep the inning going. This proved huge as Carmelo Castillo ran for Perkins and Vukovich lashed a base hit to left. McBride made a mad dash home but Walker's throw was in time for the out. Due to the error to Boggs, instead of being out of the inning there were runners on second and third with two out. Just like everything else that's gone wrong this season, Boyd uncorked a wild pitch that scored Castillo to put the Indians on top. Rhomberg ripped a base hit to center that scored Vukovich but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double to end the inning with the Indians up 3-1.

                                                    Thanks a lot Boggs

Boggs atoned for his error with a base hit to right to start the bottom of the ninth but Walker flied out to the centerfield warning track. Graham grounded out to third to move Boggs to third and the crowd gave Yaz a standing ovation. Unfortunately Yaz grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Indians spoiled the party by winning the game 3-1.

                                                    Indians win

Jackass of the Night is Carl Yastrzemski. In his own retirement ceremony game he went 0 for 4 including grounding back to the mound with the game on the line.

                                                                   Bye Bye Jackass

The Good:

Chico Walker was 1 for 2 with a run scored and outfield assist.

Lee Graham drove in the only run the Sox scored and got an outfield assist.

Jeff Newman was 2 for 2 with a walk.

Jackie Gutierrez was 1 for 3.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the Good list but Oil Can Boyd threw a gutty game. He was failed by his defense and was charged with 3 runs in a complete game. Only one of the runs was earned.

The Bad:

Jerry Remy was 0 for 2.

Marty Barrett was 0 for 2.

Jim Rice was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Tony Armas was 0 for 2.

Rick Miller was 0 for 3.

Dave Stapleton was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was just 1 for 4 with an error.

Honorable Mention:

Ed Jurak pinch ran for Newman in the eighth inning.

Gary Allenson caught the top of the ninth inning.

Final Thoughts:

This season can't end fast enough and its a shame Yaz cost the team on his own day, but that's par for the course this season since nothing went right. Tony Armas hit .218 this season, Dave Stapleton regressed, Dwight Evans hit only .238 and Yaz was down to .266 with 10 homers in his final year. Still, Boggs is going to be league batting champion and Oil Can Boyd could be a future stud if he has better run support. As for this game, Boyd had one bad inning in the ninth and that's sometimes all it takes. Walker and Graham did the best they could to throw runners out but the error and wild pitch sealed the deal. Still, the true story was Sorensen shutting down the Boston bats in a complete game effort. Gotta tip your cap and admitted he was the better man on this day. The loss dropped the Sox to 77-84, good for 6th place in the AL East. Tomorrow is the final regular season game of the year and Carl Yastrzemski's last before he retires. Al Nipper (0-1) takes the ball in the season finale for the Sox against Bud Anderson of the Indians. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Angels Rally Past Sox (7/10/83)

Is it possible for the Boston Red Sox to get any kind of relief pitching this season? Time and time again their bullpen has blown one game after another and today was no different. The Sox were leading 3-1 when the California Angels rallied for 4 runs in the top of the seventh inning. Their bullpen was able to slam the door and the Angels dropped the Sox back to .500 with a 5-3 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                  "I hate bad relief pitching" - Carl

Hurst took the ball in the top of the first inning and Rod Carew singled up the middle to start. Rick Burelson banged into a double play and Reggie Jackson whiffed on a breaking ball to end the inning. Tommy John got the start for the Angels and Jerry Remy led off the bottom of the first with a routine ground out to second. Dave Stapleton popped up to center before Jim Rice poked a seeing eye single to left. Tony Armas grounded into a force to end the inning.

Brian Downing led off the top of the second inning with a base hit before Ellis Valentine hit a pop up to right. Remy and Dwight Evans collided and the ball fell in for a single. Bobby Grich beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners but Bobby Clark hit into a real one to end the inning. Angels manager John McNamara came out to argue but the call stood. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second although Evans was foolishly thrown out at second trying to stretch a single to left. Reid Nichols singled down the left field line and Ed Jurak (replacing the injured Wade Boggs) singled to center. Glenn Hoffman lined a bullet to Tim Foli at third who bobbled it for an error to load the bases. Gary Allenson smacked a sac fly to right to score Nichols to give the Sox the lead. Remy grounded into a force to end the inning but the Sox had taken the lead 1-0

                                              Nichols scores to put Boston on top

Could Hurst pitch with the lead in the top of the third inning? YES! Foli popped up to first before Bob Boone hit one up the elevator shaft. Carew reached on a bunt single in front of the plate and Burelson smacked a single to right. Jackson was rung up for strike three by the third base umpire to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Stapleton popped up to right to begin before Rice lined out to a jumping Downing in left. Armas grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Angels beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fourth inning as Downing grounded out to a bumbling Remy to start. Valentine also grounded to second before Grich grounded out to short to end the inning. Evans flied out to right to begin the bottom of the fourth before Nichols doubled off the Monster. Jurak grounded to second and Hoffman flied out to center to end the inning.

The Angels wasted no time tying the game in the top of the fifth inning as Clark opened the inning with a home run into the screen in left. Foli singled but Hurst picked him off in a rundown. Boone grounded out to second and Carew grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                       The Angels tie it

Allenson dumped a single to right field to begin the bottom of the fifth but made a big boo-boo. Remy hit a drag bunt back to the mound and John looked to second but Allenson was already there. He turned and threw to first and Remy was safe. Allenson got greedy and took off for third but was thrown out by a mile. Grich thought he had Remy at first and shouted at first base umpire Steve Palermo. Palermo had to be restrained by Rod Carew and Angels manager John McNamara from attacking Grich.

                            "I'VE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH YOU, GRICH!"

When action resumed Stapleton popped up to second but Rice swatted his 23rd home run of the season into the bullpen. Armas flied out to right to end the inning but the Sox now led 3-1.

                                                   Number 23 for Rice

Hurst shut down the Angels in the top of the sixth as Burleson flied out to left to begin. Jackson looked at strike three to earn a hat trick before Downing grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Evans was robbed at the warning track in right to begin. Nichols flied out to the centerfield warning track before Jurak hit a routine grounder to Burleson. Rick threw it just wide to first and Jurak was safe on the error. Hoffman struck out to end the inning.

The Angels exploded in the top of the seventh as Valentine beat out a great throw by Jurak to start. Valentine advanced to second on a wild pitch before Grich walked. Clark beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners before Valentine scored on the infield hit to third by Foli to chase Hurst. Bob Stanley came in and got Foli at second on the force by Boone but Allenson muffed a pitch from Stanley which allowed Clark to score the tying run. Carew was intentionally walked and Burleson made the Sox pay by getting a base hit to score Boone to give the Angels the lead. Jackson singled home Carew for the insurance run. Downing flied out to center to end the inning with the Angels ahead 5-3.

                                                        Not good enough Hurst

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the seventh as Allenson grounded out to short to start. Remy hit a chopper that ate up Carew for a single but Stapleton flied out to center. That was it for Tommy John as McNamara brought in Luis Sanchez to pitch to Rice. Rice grounded out to short to end the inning.

Stanley returned for the top of the eighth and got Valentine to ground out to second on the first pitch. Grich grounded out to short on the first pitch he saw before Clark hit a routine grounder to short. Hoffman fielded it cleanly but threw the ball completely out of Fenway for an error to allow Clark to reach second. Foli grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the eighth as Armas grounded out to short to begin. Evans lined out to center but Nichols blooped a single to left. Jurak took strike three to end the inning. If Wade Boggs didn't pull his groin, he probably would have hit here.

Stanley finished up the top of the ninth as Boone grounded out to short to start. Carew also grounded out to short before Burleson popped up to first to end the inning. Stanley finished strong but where was this in the 7th inning? Clark moved to left with Fred Lynn taking over in center for the bottom of the ninth. Rick Miller pinch hit for Hoffman but Foli snared a high chopper to retire him. Carl Yastrzemski pinch hit for Allenson and doubled off the Monster to bring the tying run to the plate. Marty Barrett pinch ran for Yaz but Remy grounded back to the mound. Stapleton grounded out to third to end the game. The Angels had won it 5-3 to send the Sox back to .500.

                                                                Sox lose again


Jackass of the Night is Bob Stanley. He allowed 2 inherited runners to score and one of his own in a disasterous 7th inning to blow the game.

                                                        Stanley The Jackass



The Good:

Jim Rice was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run.

Reid Nichols was 3 for 4 with a run scored.

Carl Yastrzemski singled as a pinch hitter.

Gary Allenson was 1 for 2 with an rbi.



The Bad:

Dave Stapleton was 0 for 5.

Tony Armas was 0 for 4.

Glenn Hoffman was 0 for 3 with an error.

Rick Miller grounded out as a pinch hitter.

Bruce Hurst took the loss by allowing 4 runs in just 6 1/3 innings. He allowed 9 hits and a walk.



The Ugly:

Jerry Remy was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Dwight Evans was just 1 for 4.

Ed Jurak was just 1 for 4.



Honorable Mention:

Marty Barrett ran for Yaz in the bottom of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

Another tough loss for a mediocre team. There's really nothing that can be done unless a miracle happens and the Sox can get an ace pitcher sometime soon. Still, the team could have won the game and Stanley has been solid all season but just couldn't slam the door this time. The offense had their chances but just didn't have anyone to deliver the knockout blow. I know Boggs was hurt but the lack of a power threat with the decline of Yaz is glaring. Hurst pitched well but once again ran out of gas in the 7th inning. If he ever learns command then he could be a good lefty pitching. He's shown it in the past this season, maybe his time will come with more experience. As for this game, the less said of it the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 40-40, 6.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox return home for a set with the Seattle Mariners. Bob Ojeda gets the start for the Sox opposite Mike Moore. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park

Righetti No-Hits Red Sox (7/4/83)

Talk about an unhappy Fourth of July for the Boston Red Sox. Looking for a series win against the New York Yankees, the Yankees avoided that in historic fashion as Dave Righetti no-hit the Red Sox. The Sox had their best lineup available and nobody could get a single hit against him. John Tudor (5-5, 3.57 ERA) was game, allowing 4 runs in 7 2/3 innings but the Sox bats failed him big time. Andre Robertson's rbi single in the fifth was all the scoring the Yankees would need although Don Baylor hit a home run as well. The Sox dropped a crucial game the day before the All-Star break in record fashion as the Yankees took the game 4-0 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                         Wrong side of baseball history

Righetti got the ball in the top of the first and Jerry Remy struck out swinging on a high fastball to start. Wade Boggs took strike three on the outside corner but Jim Rice took a close pitch for ball four. Tony Armas struck out swinging to end the inning. Tudor got the ball to start the bottom of the first and Bert Campaneris led off with a base hit to left. Campaneris swiped second but Don Mattingly flied out to left. Dave Winfield drew a walk and Lou Piniella hit a bullet...right to Glenn Hoffman who stepped on second for the double play to end the inning.

Dwight Evans led off the top of the second by striking out swinging on a curveball before Reid Nichols lined out to a running Steve Kemp. Dave Stapleton struck out swinging on the same pitch that got Evans to end the inning. Don Baylor led off the bottom of the second by popping up to a running Rice to start. Butch Wynegar hit a bullet right through the legs of Boggs for an "error" but he ended up on second base. Wynegar moved to third on a grounder to first by Kemp and Roy Smalley grounded out to Stapleton to end the inning.

                                                               "OLE" - Boggs

Jeff Newman led off the top of the third by striking out swinging before Glenn Hoffman struck out swinging on a slider down and in before Remy grounded out to short to end the inning. Andre Robertson flied out to left to begin the bottom of the third but Campaneris blooped a single to right. The Yankees goofed when Campaneris had second base stolen....had Mattingly not popped up to Remy. Remy doubled Bert off first to end the inning.

Righetti was unhittable in the top of the fourth as Boggs lined out to center to start. Rice flied out to right and Armas grounded out to third to end the inning. Tudor stayed tough in the bottom of the fourth as Winfield flied out to center to start. Piniella flied out to the left field wall and Baylor flied out to Armas to end the inning.

Evans led off the top of the fifth by striking out swinging to start. Nichols drew a walk but was immediately picked off. Stapleton popped up to Robertson to end the inning. The Yankees struck first in the bottom of the fifth as Wynegar popped up to Remy to start. Kemp then hit a ball off the glove of Stapleton but it was ruled a base hit. The Yankees made Stapleton pay as Smalley grounded a base hit to right and Robertson singled to left to score Kemp with the go-ahead run. Campaneris walked to load the bases but Mattingly struck out swinging. Winfield struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                          Yankees take the lead

Newman flied out to right to start the top of the sixth inning before Hoffman popped up to a running Smalley. Remy popped up to third to end the inning. Righetti was just nine outs away from a no-hitter. The Yankees iced the game in the bottom of the sixth as Piniella flied out to the centerfield warning track to start. Baylor then hit a home run all the way to Yonkers to increase the lead. Rice then caught a Wynegar line drive at the left field wall and Kemp grounded out to first to end the inning with the Yankees leading 2-0.

                                                          Baylor hits one out

Boggs flied out to Winfield to start the top of the seventh before Rice drew a walk. Armas banged into a double play to end the inning. Righetti was six outs from the no-no. Smalley popped up to a running Rice to start the bottom of the seventh before Robertson flied out to right. Campaneris also flied out to right to end the inning.

Kemp jumped into the right field bleachers to catch a fly ball by Evans to start the top of the eighth. Nichols flied out to center and Stapleton popped up to Mattingly in foul territory to end the inning. Righetti was three outs from the no-hitter. The Yankees finally chased Tudor in the bottom of the eighth as Mattingly popped up to first to start. Winfield hit a routine grounder to Hoffman but the throw was low and Stapleton dropped it for a "hit." Jeff Newman dove into the stands to corral a pop up by Piniella but Winfield made a heads up play to run to second base. Umpire Steve Palermo knocked himself goofy running into the wall trying to follow Newman. Baylor was intentionally walked but Wynegar walked on a very close pitch to load the bases. Kemp lashed the first pitch he saw into right field for a base hit to score Winfield and Baylor to put the game out of reach. That was it for Tudor who did the best he could but got knocked out in the eighth inning, surrendering 4 runs in 7 2/3 innings. Bob Stanley came in and with one pitch, got Smalley to ground out to first to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 4-0.

                                                         Tudor got no help here

Somehow the Sox got a baserunner when Newman walked to start. Hoffman just barely beat out a double play ball and moved to second on a grounder by Remy to Robertson, but there were two outs. Yankee Stadium went crazy when Boggs struck out swinging to end the game. Righetti had pitched a no-hitter and the Yankees had won it 4-0.

                                                     Righetti has done it

Jackass of the Night is a tough one since nobody got a hit. I gotta go with Wade Boggs. Not only did he go 0 for 4 with the final out, but he booted a grounder for an error.

                                                    Thanks for the final out, ya Jackass

The Good:

Jim Rice walked twice in three at-bats.

Bob Stanley retired the only man he faced.

The Bad:

Jerry Remy was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Tony Armas was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Dwight Evans was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Dave Stapleton was 0 for 3 with a strikeout

Glenn Hoffman was 0 for 3.

John Tudor allowed 4 runs in 7 2/3 innings to take the loss. He allowed 8 hits and 4 walks while striking out two.

The Ugly:

Reid Nichols was 0 for 2 but drew a walk.

Jeff Newman was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but drew a walk.

Final Thoughts:

What a way to lose a game. The Sox needed this game to take three out of four from New York and keep pace in the division race and instead they get no-hit. The only thing close to a hit was Jerry Remy's grounder to short in the top of the third. That was as dominant a performance as anyone's ever seen despite the walks. Tudor ran out of gas in the eighth inning otherwise he pitched well. If he was removed after the seventh after allowing just two runs, more often than not that would win the game. Once again the bottom of the order makes you want to hurl with the way the bats have performed this season. Remember last year when we said that if the bullpen wasn't great, the Sox wouldn't be either? Here we are. There's not much they can do but hope the starters can pull it together in the second half. The loss drops the Sox to 39-38, 4.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now take a three day break for the All-Star game and come back on Friday night against the California Angels. Looks like it'll be Dennis Eckersley (5-5) getting the ball for Boston against Bruce Kison of the Angels. The game begins at 7:00 PM at Fenway Park.

Hurst Shuts Out ChiSox (5/25/83)

After floundering in between starting and relieving since 1980, Bruce Hurst (4-2, 3.70 ERA) seems to have finally figured it out this season. Tonight against the Chicago White Sox he was outstanding, outdueling Britt Burns and tossing a complete game 3 hit shut-out. Reid Nichols provided the only rbi's Hurst needed and the Boston Red Sox defeated the ChiSox 2-0 at Commiskey Park.

                                              Sam Malone approves of the win

Burns took the mound in the top of the first inning and Jerry Remy grounded out to second to start. Dwight Evans was robbed of extra bases by Rusty Kuntz in center and Jim Rice hit a comebacker to the mound to end the inning. Hurst began his dominance in the bottom of the first and Tony Bernazard popped up to center to start. Carlton Fisk walked but Harold Baines banged into a double play to end the inning.

                                                "These bums can't touch me" - Hurst

Tony Armas began the top of the second inning by whiffing on a full count fastball. Dave Stapleton whiffed but Wade Boggs singled to left. Reid Nichols popped up to first to end the inning. Greg Luzinski led off the bottom of the second with a walk but Tom Paciorek flied out to right. Ron Kittle singled over the head of Glenn Hoffman but Kuntz grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Gary Allenson flied out to right to begin the top of the third inning before Hoffman looked at strike three. Remy popped up to left to end the inning

                            "Dagnabbit that Britt Burns sure is hard to beat" - Allenson

Hurst ran into some trouble in the bottom of the third inning. Lorenzo Gray whiffed but Jerry Dybzinski singled in the hole at short. Bernazard beat out a double play ball and stole second, but Fisk grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox did absolutely nothing in the top of the fourth inning as Evans grounded out to third, Rice watched strike three go by and Armas whiffed to end the inning. Hurst matched Burns in the bottom of the fourth as Baines hit a comebacker to start. Luzinski grounded out to third and Paciorek flied out to the left field warning track to end the inning.

The Sox did mount a threat in the top of the fifth although Stapleton flied out to right to start. Boggs drew a walk and Nichols lined a base hit to left to put some pressure on. Unfortunately Allenson popped up to left and Hoffman whiffed to end the inning. Hurst kept up the pace in the bottom of the inning as he whiffed Kittle to open the frame. Kuntz singled but Gray banged into a double play to end the inning.

Remy led off the top of the sixth with a laser to center for a base hit but Evans hit into a double play. Baines ran down a line drive by Rice to end the inning. Hurst was unhittable in the bottom of the sixth as Dybzinski flied out to left to start. Bernazard flied out to right and Fisk popped up to third to end the inning.

Burns stayed tough in the top of the seventh inning as Armas whiffed and Stapleton just missed as home run by 10 feet before he grounded out to short. Boggs popped up to left to end the inning. There was no stopping Hurst in the bottom of the seventh as Baines grounded out to third, Luzinski popped up to third and Paciorek watched strike three go by to end the inning.

Nichols led off the top of the eighth with a base hit just over the jumping Dybzinski. Allenson dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance Reid to second but Hoffman popped up to center. Remy lined a ball almost as high as where Nichols hit it but this time Dybzinski was able to snare it for the third out to retire the side. Hurst came out firing in the bottom of the eighth, getting Kittle to ground out to third to start. Kuntz froze on a borderline pitch for strike three and Gray grounded out to third to end the inning.

The BoSox finally broke through in the top of the ninth as Dennis Lamp replaced Burns on the mound. Evans sliced a single to right field but was erased on the force by Rice. Armas popped up to center but Stapleton hit a ground ball out of the glove of Bernazard at second. Boggs walked to load the bases and Nichols blooped a single to right to score Rice and Stapleton for the first runs of the game. Allenson was plunked to re-load the bases but Hoffman was rung up on a check swing strike three to end the inning but the BoSox were up 2-0.

                                                 Nichols puts the Sox on top

Hurst came back to finish the job in the bottom of the ninth inning. Jerry Hairston pinch hit for Dybzinski and was rung up on a borderline payoff pitch for the first out. Bernazqrd whiffed badly and Fisk grounded out to third to end the game. Hurst had thrown a complete game 3 hit shutout to give the Bosox a 2-0 win.

                                                  Boggs congratulates Hurst


Hero of the Night is Reid Nichols. Yes, Hurst tossed a shutout but it was Nichols who had the game winning hit, also going 3 for 4 total in the game.

                                                Hero of the Night: Reid Nichols


The Good:

Wade Boggs was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Bruce Hurst was outstanding. He tossed a complete game 3 hit shut-out, the first of his career while walking just two batters.



The Bad:

Tony Armas was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Glenn Hoffman was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.



The Ugly:

Jerry Remy was just 1 for 4.

Dwight Evans was just 1 for 4.

Jim Rice was 0 for 4 but scored a run.

Dave Stapleton was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Gary Allenson was 0 for 2 but was hit with a pitch.



Final Thoughts:

Check out those first place Red Sox. The season has been a surprise so far and the key to it has been the development of Hurst. He's always had the talent but never could get out of the box, this season he has. If John Tudor and Bob Ojeda can follow suit, this could be a devastating young trio for years to come. As for the offense, they got the timeliest of timely offense to win but need to do better overall. The win improved the Sox to 23-17, tied for first place in the AL East with the Toronto Blue Jays. It just so happens the Sox now travel to Toronto for a 3 game set, tomorrow night Ojeda goes one on one with Dave Stieb at 7:30 PM at the Skydome.

Basebawful Report of The Month

Gary Allenson - 2 Bad, 1 Ugly

Luis Aponte - 2 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Tony Armas - 4 Good, 6 Bad, 4 Ugly, 2 Hero

Marty Barrett - 1 Bad, 3 Honorable Mention

Doug Bird - 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Wade Boggs - 12 Good, 7 Ugly

Mike Brown - 2 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Jackass

Mark Clear - 3 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Jackass

Dennis Eckersley - 2 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Dwight Evans - 10 Good, 4 Bad, 3 Ugly, 1 Hero

Rich Gedman - 7 Good, 4 Bad, 3 Ugly

Glenn Hoffman - 5 Good, 6 Bad, 6 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Bruce Hurst - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 2 Hero, 1 Jackass

John Henry Johnson - 1 Good, 1 Ugly

Ed Jurak - 2 Good, 2 Bad, 2 Ugly, 2 Honorable Mention

Rick Miller - 1 Good, 6 Bad, 1 Honorable Mention

Jeff Newman - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 2 Ugly

Reid Nichols - 4 Good, 4 Bad, 6 Ugly, 1 Hero

Bob Ojeda - 1 Jackass

Jerry Remy - 1 Good, 3 Bad, 4 Ugly

Jim Rice - 5 Good, 10 Ugly, 4 Hero

Bob Stanley - 6 Good, 2 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Dave Stapleton - 5 Good, 4 Bad, 8 Ugly, 1 Hero

John Tudor - 3 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly

Julio Valdez - 3 Good, 4 Bad, 3 Ugly, 2 Honorable Mention

Carl Yastrzemski - 4 Good, 1 Bad, 6 Ugly



Most Valuable Player of the Month is Wade Boggs with 12 Good

The Least Valuable Players of the Month are Tony Armas, Glenn Hoffman and Rick Miller with 6 Bad

The Ugliest Player of the Month is Jim Rice with 10 Ugly

Hero of the Month is Jim Rice with 4 Hero

Jackasses of the Month are all 9 guys with 1 Jackass apiece

The Honorable Player of the Month is Marty Barrett with 3 Honorable Mention

Angels Shut Down Sox in 11 (4/30/83)

So much for ending April on the high note for Boston sports. The Boston Bruins dropped Game 3 of their NHL Wales Finals series and the Boston Red Sox dropped a tough game to the California Angels. The Sox and Angels battled to a 1-1 tie through 10 1/2 innings. John Tudor pitched his tail off for 10 innings but had nothing to show for it. A combined effort by the Angels bullpen limited the Sox to just a single run in 8 innings after Angels starter Tommy John was lifted after just three innings. In the bottom of the eleventh, Mark Clear (1-1, 9.39 ERA) surrendered the deciding home run to pinch hitter Daryl Sconiers for California to pull off the 4-1 walkoff win at Anahiem Stadium.

                                                    "Damn Sconiers"

Wade Boggs led off the top of the first inning by grounding out to short before Evans drew a walk. Jim Rice banged into a double play to end the inning. Tudor took the ball in the bottom of the first and Rod Carew greeted him with a base hit to center. Juan Beniquez flied out to right but Fred Lynn singled Carew to third. Tudor recovered to strike out both Doug DeCinces and Reggie Jackson to end the inning.

John shut down the Sox in the top of the second as Tony Armas grounded out to short to start. Reid Nichols flied out to left and Dave Stapleton flied out to right to end the inning. Brian Downing led off the bottom of the second by flying out to center before Tim Foli flied out to right. Bob Boone singled to center but Ricky Adams grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the third inning as Jeff Newman grounded out to second to start. Glenn Hoffman grounded out to second and Jerry Remy grounded out to short to end the inning. The Angels threatened in the bottom of the third as Carew caught Boggs asleep with a bunt single to start. Beniquez was plunked but Lynn flied out to left. DeCinces hit one up the elevator shaft and Jackson whiffed to end the inning.

A scary situation happened when Boggs lined one off of John to begin the top of the fourth and knocked him out of the game. You never want to see someone get hurt but John was out and Mike Witt was in. Evans banged into a double play and Rice grounded out to short to end the inning.

                                                             Get well soon

Tudor cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Downing struck out to start. Foli grounded out to short and Boone flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Armas watched strike three go by to start. Nichols grounded out to third and Stapleton grounded out to second to end the inning. Adams flied out to center to open the bottom of the fifth but Carew dumped a single to center. Carew was thrown out at second by the alert Newman trying to steal and Beniquez flied out to right to end the inning.

Boston beat the ball in the dirt again in the top of the sixth as Newman grounded out to first to begin. Hoffman grounded out to third and Remy grounded out to short to end the inning. Lynn went down swinging to start the bottom of the sixth before DeCinces grounded out to short. Jackson singled to center and Downing whiffed to end the inning.

Guess what the Sox did in the top of the seventh? Beat the ball in the dirt of course.  Boggs, Evans and Rice all grounded out to short to begin and end the inning. In response, Tudor got three fly outs in the bottom of the frame. Foli flied out to left while Boone and Adams both flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox had a chance to take the lead in the top of the eighth but blew it as Armas flied out to center to start. Nichols walked but was thrown out trying to steal. The out loomed large as Stapleton and Newman both walked which would have loaded the bases. Instead Hoffman grounded out to second to end the inning. The Angels struck first in the bottom of the eighth as Carew flied out to left but old pal Beniquez launched a home run into the Pacific Ocean. Lynn grounded out to second and DeCinces struck out to end the inning with the Angels up 1-0.

                                                       Where was this in the 75 World Series?

Down to their last three outs, the Sox refused to quit against Andy Hassler in the top of the ninth. Remy beat out an infield single to short and Hassler booted the bunt attempt by Boggs. Luis Sanchez replaced Hassler and Evans banged into a double play. Down to their last out, Rice slashed a single to center to score Remy with the tying run. Armas grounded out to first but the game was tied 1-1.

                                                     Rice ties it up

The Angels looked to end it in the bottom of the ninth when Jackson walked to start. Rob Wilfong ran for him but foolishly tried to tag up when Newman went over heels to snare a pop up from Downing. Newman gunned Wilfong out at first to complete the double play and Foli grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox looked to take the lead in the top of the tenth inning although Nichols struck out to start. Stapleton grounded out to second but Newman doubled to center. Julio Valdez ran for Newman with Rich Gedman pinch hitting for Hoffman. Gedman was intentionally walked and John Curtis came in to face Remy. Remy grounded out to second to end the inning. Tudor came back for one more inning in the bottom of the tenth. Boone flied out to left, Adams grounded out to short and Carew grounded out to second to end the inning. A tough break for Tudor who went ten innings, allowed only one run and had nothing to show for it.

                                                         10 inning for Tudor

The Sox failed to pick up their pitcher in the top of the 11th inning although Boggs singled off Curtis to start. Doug Corbett came in and Boggs was sacrificed to second by Evans but Rice banged into a double play to end the inning. The Angels ended it against the ineffective Mark Clear in the bottom of the 11th. Beniquez walked to start but Lynn flied out to left. DeCinces singled to right and Daryl Sconiers pinch hit for Wilfong. Naturally Sconiers bashed a 478,000 foot home run to win the game for the Angels 4-3.

Jackass of the Night is Mark Clear. He allowed the walkoff home run to Sconiers to lose the game.

                                                               Its Clear that he's a Jackass


The Good:

Wade Boggs was 2 for 4.

Jeff Newman was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Rich Gedman walked as a pinch hitter.

John Tudor tossed 10 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 7.



The Bad:

Tony Armas was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Glenn Hoffman was 0 for 3.



The Ugly:

Dwight Evans was 0 for 4 but walked.

Jim Rice was just 1 for 5 but drove in the only run the Sox scored.

Reid Nichols was 0 for 3 but walked.

Dave Stapleton was 0 for 3 but walked.

Jerry Remy was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.



Honorable Mention:

Julio Valdez played shortstop in the bottom of the 11th.




Final Thoughts:

That was a kick in the balls for sure. Tudor pitched his ass off but didn't get the run support he needed to pull out the win he deserved. The Sox even tied it up with 2 outs in the ninth but couldn't finish the job. Clear has been a disaster this month which is ironic considering how good Luis Aponte and Bob Stanley have been. The Sox have had an up and down month on both offense and the pitching side. Its a shame because if the Sox could get consistent pitching, eventually it'll match the offense. Then again Sox fans have been expecting good pitching for years now. The loss dropped the Sox to 10-9 heading into the month of May. They look to rebound against the Angels tomorrow afternoon when they send Mike Brown out against Dave Goltz at 4:05 PM Eastern time at Anaheim Stadium.

Sox Rally Past Angels in 9th (4/29/83)

The bad news was the Boston Celtics dropped Game 2 of their NBA playoff second round series to the Milwaukee Bucks. The good news was the Boston Red Sox defeated the California Angels. It didn't look good for the Sox in tonight's game as Bruce Hurst crashed back to earth by allowing 5 runs and getting knocked out in the 5th inning. Due to the efforts of Luis Aponte (2-0, 1.35 ERA) and Bob Stanley plus a clutch 2 run double by Tony Armas, the Sox roared past the Angels 6-5 at Anaheim Stadium.

                                                 Boo Ferris approves of the win

Bruce Kison got the start for the Angels and Wade Boggs doubled to center to begin. Boggs moved to third on the grounder by Dwight Evans but was thrown out at home on the grounder by Jim Rice. Tony Armas grounded into a force to end the inning. Rod Carew greeted Hurst in the bottom of the first with a ground out to second. Old pal Juan Beniquez singled to center and swiped second but old buddy Fred Lynn struck out. Doug DeCinces grounded out to short to end the inning.

Dave Stapleton walked to start the top of the second but was thrown out at third on the base hit by Rich Gedman. Reid Nichols dropped down a bunt to advance Gedman to second but Glenn Hoffman struck out to end the inning. The Angels struck first in the bottom of the second although Brian Downing struck out looking to start. Ron Jackson crushed a 400,000,000 foot home run into the Azores to put the Angels on top. Tim Foli flied out to left but Bob Boone dumped a single to left. Ricky Adams grounded into a force to end the inning with the Angels up 1-0.

                                                         He'd make a great coach some day

The Sox fought back in the top of the third as Jerry Remy singled to left to start. Boggs drew a walk but Evans struck out swinging. Rice singled home Remy to tie the game and Armas doubled home Boggs to give the Sox the lead. Stapleton scored Rice with a grounder as Gedman was intentionally walked. Nichols popped up to third to end the inning but the Sox took the lead 3-1.

                                                           Remy starts the rally

The Angels clawed back in the bottom of the third as Carew started the rally with a double. Beniquez singled Carew to third and Lynn gave a big middle finger to his old team with a 3 run bomb to put the Angels on top. DeCinces grounded out to short, Downing flied out to left and Jackson flied out to center to end the inning with the Angels up 4-3.

                                                         Lynn puts the Angels on top

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Hoffman flied out to left to start. Remy grounded out to short and Boggs flied out to left to end the inning. Hurst got back on track in the bottom of the fourth as Foli grounded out to short to start. Boone grounded out to short and Adams popped up to first to end the inning.

Evans tried to start a rally in the top of the fifth with a base hit to right but Rice flied out to right. Armas moved Evans over with a grounder but Stapleton flied out to center to end the inning. The Angels chased Hurst in the bottom of the fifth although Carew flied out to center to start. Beniquez singled to center and Lynn walked to put the pressure on. DeCinces singled home Beniquez to increase the lead but Downing popped up to third. Jackson walked to load the bases and chase Hurst. After his past two starts went well, Hurst fell apart in this one. He surrendered 5 runs in just 4 2/3 innings. Luis Aponte came in and got Foli to ground out to third to end the inning but the Angels were up 5-3.

                                                       "I sucked tonight" - Hurst

Gedman flied out to left to start the top of the sixth but Nichols and Hoffman drew back to back walks to chase Kison. Old friend Andy Hassler came in and got Remy to bang into a double play to end the inning. Aponte cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Boone flied out to left to begin. Adams grounded out to short and Carew grounded out to second to end the inning.

Boggs took strike three to start the top of the seventh but Boggs tripled to center to chase Hassler. Luis Sanchez came in and got Rice to hit a comebacker and Armas to line out to second to end the inning. Aponte got Beniquez to ground out to first to start the bottom of the seventh but Lynn doubled to left. DeCinces grounded out to short and Downing flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox mustered nothing in the top of the eighth as Stapleton grounded out to short to start. Gedman popped up to third and Nichols grounded out to short to end the inning. Aponte returned for the bottom of the eighth and Daryl Sconiers pinch hit for Jackson. Sconiers flied out to left, Foli grounded out to third and Boone flied out to center to end the inning. Aponte had stepped up with 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

                                                          Great work Aponte

The Sox pulled off a rally in the top of the ninth as Rick Miller pinch hit for Hoffman to begin. Miller grounded out to third but Remy walked. Boggs got a base hit to left and Evans walked to load the bases. Rice scored Remy with a grounder and Armas bashed a double to center. Boggs and Evans scored on the double to put the Sox on top and Ed Jurak pinch ran for Armas. Stapleton flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 6-5.

                                                           Boggs scores the tying run

Bob Stanley came in for the save in the bottom of the ninth with Julio Valdez taking over at short and Jackson struck out to start. Carew also went down by strikeout and Beniquez popped up to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-5.

Hero of the Night is Tony Armas. His two run double put the Sox on top for good.

The Good:

Wade Boggs was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Dwight Evans was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Rich Gedman was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Jerry Remy was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Luis Aponte got the win with 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

Bob Stanley earned his 6th save with a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Rick Miller was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Bruce Hurst allowed 5 runs in just 4 2/3 innings.



The Ugly:

Jim Rice was just 1 for 5 but drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Dave Stapleton was 0 for 4 but walked and drove in a run.

Reid Nichols was 0 for 2 but walked.

Glenn Hoffman was 0 for 2 but walked.



Honorable Mention:

Ed Jurak pinch ran for Armas in the top of the ninth.

Julio Valdez played short in the bottom of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

Sad to see Bruce Hurst regress but great to see the offense come from behind. Aponte and Stanley really stepped it up to hold off the Angels after Hurst faltered. This is one of those wins on the road you'll look back on at the end of the year if the Sox are still in contention as "need to have". If the Sox can survive a stinker by Hurst, they better hope John Tudor can step up tomorrow night. Speaking of Tudor, the Sox look to make it two in a row against the Angels tomorrow night when they send him to the mound up against Tommy John at 10:05 PM Eastern time at Anaheim Stadium.

Eckersley, Sox Rebound Against Mariners (4/27/83)

The bad news was the Boston Celtics dropped Game 1 of their NBA playoff second round series to the Milwaukee Bucks. The good news was the Boston Red Sox defeated the Seattle Mariners. If the Red Sox hope to make it anywhere this season, their pitching will be the key. Last year their bullpen held them together with the rotation in near shambles. This year they're going to need more starts like this past week from Bruce Hurst, John Tudor and today's hero Dennis Eckersley (2-1, 3.82 ERA). Eck was outstanding today, grounding the Seattle Mariners for 8 innings while allowing just one run. Offensively the Sox mustered almost nothing against lefty Matt Young but an error and an rbi by Jim Rice was all they got. The defense stepped up big with catcher Jeff Newman throwing out three baserunners and right fielder Reid Nichols cutting down the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth. Pitching, timely offense and defense all were needed to drop the M's 2-1 in front of a pathetic crowd of  6,548 people at the Kingdome.

                                                          Gandhi approves of the win

The Sox threatened to score first in the top of the first inning although Wade Boggs grounded out to third to start. Dwight Evans grounded out to second but Jim Rice singled to center and Tony Armas doubled him to third. Reid Nichols grounded out to second to end the inning. The Mariners scored their only run in the bottom of the first inning although Steve Henderson grounded back to the mound to start. Dave Edler grounded out to third but Al Cowens walked and stole second. Ken Phelps walked and Pat Putnam singled home Cowens to give the Mariners the lead. Dave Henderson hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning but it was 1-0 Mariners.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second inning as Dave Stapleton popped up to short to start. Jeff Newman took strike three and Glenn Hoffman grounded out to short to end the inning. Rick Sweet singled to center to start the bottom of the second but Todd Cruz took strike three. Julio Cruz forced Sweet at second before he stole third. The alert Newman gunned down Julio trying to steal to end the inning.

                                                   "Hey Cruz, where you goin?" - Newman

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the third inning as Ed Jurak grounded out to second to start. Both Boggs and Evans grounded out to second as well to end the inning. The Mariners threatened in the bottom of the third although Steve Henderson struck out to start. Edler singled to right and Cowens walked before Edler moved to third on the fly ball to center. Putnam was plunked to load the bases but Dave Henderson grounded into a force to end the inning.

Young cruised in the top of the fourth inning as Rice singled to start but was thrown out trying to stretch a double. Armas flied out to center and Nichols grounded out to third to end the inning. Eckersley cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Sweet flied out to center to start. Todd Cruz popped up to third and Julio Cruz struck out to end the inning.

Stapleton grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth before Newman flied out to right. Hoffman also flied out to right to end the inning. Steve Henderson singled to right to begin the bottom of the fifth but was thrown out trying to steal by Newman. Edler flied out to left and Cowens grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox took the lead in the top of the sixth as Jurak singled to right to start. Boggs was plunked and both runners moved over on the grounder by Evans. Rice hit a sac fly to score Jurak with the tying run. Armas hit a routine grounder to Edler but he booted it for an error to score Boggs with the go-ahead run. Rick Miller pinch ran for Armas as Nichols grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                          Herculean sac fly by Rice

Eck stepped up big time with the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Phelps was caught looking to start, Putnam grounded back to the mound and Dave Henderson struck out to end the inning.

Young cruised in the top of the seventh as Stapleton grounded out to short, Newman went down hacking and Hoffman flied out to right to end the inning. Eck matched Young in the bottom of the seventh as Sweet grounded out to first, Todd Cruz struck out and Julio Cruz grounded out to first to end the inning.

Jurak tried to start a rally by beating out an infield single to short but he was thrown out trying to steal second. Boggs walked to chase Young as Mike Stanton came in to pitch. Evans and Rice both struck out to end the inning. Eck went one last inning in the bottom of the eighth but Steve Henderson singled to left. The alert Newman threw out Henderson trying to steal before Edler grounded out to short. Cowens flied out to left to end the inning. Eckersley had tossed 8 innings and allowed no runs after the first inning.

                                                               Strong start by Eck

Miller led off the top of the ninth with a strikeout before Nichols doubled to right. Stapleton lined out to third and Newman flied out to right to end the inning. Bob Stanley came in for the save in the bottom of the ninth inning and Phelps greeted him with a base hit to right. John Moses pinch ran for Phelps but Putnam flied out to center. Moses moved to second on a grounder by Dave Henderson but Sweet lashed a single to right. Moses headed for home and Nichols gunned the ball home.....YOU'RE OUTTA THERE! Moses was called out, the game was over and the Sox had won it 2-1.

Hero of the Night is Reid Nichols. He threw out the tying run in the bottom of the ninth to win the game for the Sox.

                                                             Reid The Hero


The Good:

Jim Rice was 2 for 3 with an rbi.

Tony Armas was 1 for 3.

Ed Jurak was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Dennis Eckersley tossed 8 outstanding innings allowing just 1 run while striking out 6 to earn the win.

Bob Stanley earned his 5th save with a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Dwight Evans was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rick Miller struck out in his only at-bat.

Dave Stapleton was 0 for 4.

Glenn Hoffman was 0 for 3.



The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 2 but walked, was hit with a pitch and cored a run.

Jeff Newman was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but threw out 3 baserunners trying to steal.




Final Thoughts:

That was probably the best defensive game of the season for the Red Sox. Jeff Newman had to throw out guys left and right and the Nichols play saved the game. Eckersley pitched outstanding and apart from Mike Brown's disaster, Eck, John Tudor and Bruce Hurst have had a good week. If these three can keep this up, maybe the Sox cane match the Milwaukee Brewers this season. The offense didn't do much today but some days you just have to rely on pitching and defense, this was one of those days. After an off-day the Sox travel to Anaheim for a three game set with the California Angels. Bruce Hurst looks to build on his last start when he takes on Bruce Kison at 10:05 PM Eastern time at Anaheim Stadium.